Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

I didn't like FFTA for the GBA as it was too kiddie-fied for my tastes. That was why I was pleasantly surprised when I booted the cartridge for Final Fantasy A2: Grimoire of the Rift. It seems like they took each and every mistake in the first game and corrected them, improving the sequel into an almost perfect game.

And it is perfect so far. I'm about 10 hours into the game and it has taken hold of me, gluing me to my DS Lite, making me move the sword-like cursor around on the overland maps, guide my little army around pseudo-3D battle terrain, change their jobs, finish quests, and... I could go on. There's a ton of things to do in this game, aside from following the main storyline.

Square Enix has got another winner with this one. My gaming ADHD doesn't seem to be kicking in (yet) and it seems it won't for a score or so hours more. I think I'll finish this game by the time the Final Fantasy IV remake releases (July 22).

Jose Rizal: Pinoy Hero and Zero

Jose Rizal is the Philippines national zero--err, hero, and today, the city of Calamba as well as the entire province of Laguna celebrated his birthday.

There were nonsensical parades ordered by the city officials where poor students and laborers were forced to march hither-thither while the higher-ups belched like the swines they are in lavish official banquets.

The legacy of Rizal lives on in his works, particularly his two novels which are required reading in middle and tertiary schools throughout the country. The two novels are typical of most contemporary Pinoy fiction, the two-bit paperback ones about romance domestic helpers usually thumb through with their meager read-slowly-while-mouthing-the-words literacy skill.

No, they weren't particularly good. In fact, they were downright boring, even rivaling J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy in terms of sleep-inducing effect. But I guess being the first Filipino to actually write a novel, much less publish two, it was some achievement for a race not much removed from apes.

In other fronts, Rizal managed to spark a religion of his own, yet more proof of the idiocy of the people of the Philippine islands.

I've run out of steam for this rant for now, and as I look back, it seems such a waste of energy for a topic that's so stale and base. Maybe I'll come back and revise and add to this later. But I think the point's been made: Jose Rizal is stupid, honoring him (or anyone from the past) is stupid, and I am superior to him and to everyone else here in the Philippines.

Hahah!

Quick Post

Just a quick post before I hit the shower and then off to work. We have a teaching workshop lined up today (zzZ!). I guess that's it. Hope the day passes by ASAP.